The Best Medicine
by Scatterbrain Girl
Summary: An apothecary comes to town with his granddaughter just as Sully and Daniel both get sick.  Not a very good summary, but the story is...
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone :) This is my new story...it goes with the first one, Wanderlust, but it can be read on its own. I hope you all enjoy it, and a special thank you goes out to Ms. Kruemi for helping out with the German translation and being my beta reader.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Quinn, Beth Sullivan and A&E do. I just borrowed the characters for my own, and hopefully others, enjoyment.

**The Best Medicine**

Teaser

The afternoon sun shone brightly over Colorado Springs. The townspeople bustled about, busy with their daily activities. A month and a half had passed since that fateful night in the barn where Daniel met Jackson and his sister Ellie. Now, Jackson was an apprentice to Robert E, the town blacksmith, and Ellie had just recently gained a position at the rail depot assisting with the post. In fact, it was at this position that she found herself that day.

Ellie stood on the platform with a clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other, double checking that all the boxes that were meant to go out on the next train were where they were supposed to be. Wolf was lounging by her feet, since Sully was in Denver on business and the animal had decided for a change of scenery from the one he was accustomed to outside the clinic. If Wolf could talk, he would admit that it wasn't much different, he still saw the same people, but he enjoyed the company anyway.

Ellie, for that matter, enjoyed his company too. Daniel had gone to Denver with Matthew (who had been deputized while he studied to become a lawyer) a few days ago as well, both escorting a prisoner that had been caught in town. Ellie and Jackson had to admit that they missed their new Pa, even though they knew he would be returning soon.

Ellie sighed as she saw the train come into view and slow down in front of the structure. Looking over the list one more time, she nodded to the other workers that everything was there, and bent down to scratch Wolf behind the ears. She handed off the invoice list to the man that would load it onto the train, and looked down at the list of items that would be coming in that day. She felt more than saw Wolf get up and trot over to the train after it had stopped.

"Wolf?" she questioned looking to see where the animal went off to.

That was when she saw Sully alight from the train, with Daniel behind him and Matthew bringing up the rear. Her face broke into a wide smile and she rushed up to meet them.

"You're home! You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow!" she said happily, first giving Daniel a hug, and then Sully.

"Finished early." Daniel stated.

Sully nodded and tried to sniff air through his stuffed up nose.

"You ok?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, it's nothin'." He commented.

"Dr. Mike's still going to wanna take a look." She stated.

Sully nodded, but right now extra attention from his wife didn't sound like that bad of an idea.

As the four moved away, two more people left the train, a young woman who was somewhere in her twenties, and an older man.

"Oh, it's beautiful here!" the woman said.

"'Unsere Berge zu Hause sind viel beeindruckender."(The mountains back home are more impressive) The older man said, clearly teasing her.

"Opa!"(Grandpa) she said in mock annoyance.

Both laughed.

"Come, Evangeline. We're going to be quite busy for the next few days." The older man said.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. Quinn, Beth Sullivan and A&E do. I am just borrowing the characters for my own personal enjoyment.

**The Best Medicine**

Part 1

Sully quickly made his way over to the clinic, anxious to see Michaela after being away for a week. Leaving home was the part of the job he hated, even if he knew that it wouldn't be for long periods of time. In his mind, he had spent enough time away from them. He convinced himself that next time, he would somehow convince Michaela to go with him.

When he reached the door, he knocked lightly, not knowing if she'd have a patient in there or not. When he was greeted by her nonchalant reply of "come in," he grinned to himself, opened the door, and stuck his head around the edge of it before entering.

"Surprise." He said.

When Michaela looked up and saw him standing there, her face broke out into a wide smile and she quickly moved towards him.

"Sully! You're home early." She said, wrapping her arms around his waste and giving him a lingering kiss.

Sully held her and immersed himself in the kiss. He'd been thinking about doing this all week, so it made sense that he silently cursed himself when he had to break it off due to a cough that arose.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern washing over her.

"Its nothin'. I probably got somethin' when I was in Denver. I'm fine."

"I think I should be the judge of that."

Sully opened his mouth to once again deny that he needed anything, but Michaela gave him an imploring look that made him melt.

"Alright." He said, grudgingly.

Michaela looked him over, while he leaned against the examining table.

"Well, your throat is a little red and you are a bit warm, but I don't think it should be anything serious. I'll make you some tea to help."

Before she turned, though, she let the doctor façade fall, leaned in, and gave him a soft, sweet kiss. "Welcome home."

………….

That next morning, Michaela was still worried about Sully. He hadn't slept that well that night, and he still felt warm to the touch, but his stubbornness was holding firm, and hers was starting to build up as well. She knew, though, that arguing with him wasn't going to do either of them any good, so as they made their way to town, she made a deal with him.

"If you don't feel any better, or you start to feel worse, come to the clinic, right away." She stated.

Sully nodded, albeit begrudgingly. He then bent down and gave her a soft kiss before going on his way.

Michaela watched him until he was out of view as he walked around the corner, and she shook her head with a half smile on her face.

"Your pa is a very stubborn man." She said to Katie, who was in her arms.

Katie giggled. At nearly two, she didn't understand everything that Michaela had just said (primarily, the word "stubborn"), but she could tell in the tone of her voice that her ma wasn't angry.

As she turned to walk into the clinic, her first patient was showing up.

"Hey, Dr. Mike!" Grace said warmly as she walked towards them.

"Grace, how are you feeling today?"

"Oh, pretty good. The mornin' sickness isn't too bad, yet."

"That's good. Well, come on it, lets see how everything else is doing."

…………….

It wasn't long for Sully until he started to feel worse. His fever was getting higher, he could tell that since early that morning, and he just felt awful altogether. He finally decided he should go and let Michaela find out what was wrong with him.

As he neared the corner of the boardwalk that led to the door of the clinic, he started to feel lightheaded and he leaned on one of the posts that held the second floor walkway up. He didn't notice the young woman with honey blonde hair walk up to him until she spoke.

"Are you alright?"

Sully looked up. He recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. "I will be."

"Are you sure? I could go get a doctor..." she said.

"No need. That's where I was headin'."

"You were on the train yesterday, weren't you? You looked pale then too."

Sully gave her a questioning look.

"You're an easy person to recognize, Mr. ..." She said, although there was nothing disrespectful in her voice.

"Sully."

"Evangeline Kauffman." She said, shaking the hand that Sully offered her. "You sure you don't need any help getting there?"

"No, thank you…" his comment

"Well, I hope he's a good doctor." Evangeline stated.

"She's the best in the territory." Sully stated with pride.

"A lady doctor? Wow." Evangeline said, her face breaking out into a smile.

"Yup, my wife, Dr. Michaela Quinn."

"Well, you're certainly a lucky man." Evangeline commented.

Their conversation was cut short when an older gentleman came rushing towards them, speaking forcibly at Evangeline.

"Was machst du hier? Das ist dieser Halbindianer, der mit uns im Zug war. Du solltest vorsichtiger sein!" (What are you doing? This is that half Indian that was on the train. You should be more careful.)

"Er sieht aus als ob er krank ist, Opa. Ich wollte nur helfen!"(He looks like he's sick, grandpa. I was only trying to help!) she stated in a similar tone as her grandfather's.

The older man was about to say something else, but Sully spoke instead. In broken German he stated, "Ich kann verstehen dich."(I can understand you). Then he turned toward Evangeline and said in English, "Thanks for your concern."

With that, Sully walked off toward the clinic slowly.

Evangeline turned toward her grandfather and said in a barely calm voice, "Das war ziemlich unhöflich. "(That was rude.)

"Watch your tone, young lady. You don't know that man. He could be dangerous."

"He didn't seem all that dangerous." Evangeline started to walk away in the direction her grandfather had come from. She turned back a few steps out and said, "By the way, his wife's the town's doctor."

Sully walked slowly to the clinic door, and when he was nearly there, Michaela and Grace were exiting.

"Sully? Are you feeling worse?" Michaela asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Yeah." He stated, sitting on the bench.

"I'll look after Katie for ya." Grace said, walking back into the clinic to get the little girl.

"Are you sure?" Michaela asked her.

"Of course. It's good practice for this little one. I hope you feel better, Sully." she said.

"Thanks, Grace."

"Come on." Michaela said to Sully as she helped him into the clinic.

While she took his temperature, she looked him over. It wasn't until she opened his shirt and saw the little red spots that started to form did she know what it was.

"Sully, have you ever had chicken pox?"

"No…why?"

"Well, you do now."

"I thought only kids got that." He said, confused.

"It's most common in children, but anyone who hasn't had it is susceptible to it."

Sully knew that it wasn't that serious, but he also knew that the next week or so were going to severely try his patience.

"Lets get you to one of the recovery rooms upstairs." Michaela said gently.

"When I thought we could spend some time together after I got back, this wasn't what I had in mind." Sully quipped as he let her guide him upstairs.

………………………

Due to the fact that there were no rooms available at the small boarding house, and that there was on way on Earth Daniel would ever consent to them living at the Gold Nugget, Ellie and Jackson were living in two of the recovery rooms at the clinic, which Mike had offered to them. Although they did all want to live under the same roof, they knew that this was only temporary, and that their homestead would be finished soon.

After eating dinner at Grace's, and then spending some time at the sheriff's building, Jacks and Ellie made their way back to the clinic for the night.

"Now, you get to bed at a decent time tonight, you hear? No staying up and reading until dawn." Daniel said to Ellie in a fatherly tone.

"Only one chapter, I promise. But honestly, how was I going to find out what was going to happen to Beth if I didn't keep reading?" Ellie said, a smile on her face.

"You pick the book up in the morning, silly." Jackson said.

Daniel shook his head and chuckled. He gave Ellie a short little hug and then started to walk towards the boarding house. "Sleep well, you two."

"We will." They said in unison.

"Goodnight." Ellie called over as he walked away.

The two entered the side door, and Jackson went right into his room on that level. Ellie started up the stairs, but stopped when she heard someone in the main room of the clinic. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked down and opened the door into the room. She saw Dr. Mike standing there, brewing tea.

"Hey, Dr. Mike. Is someone sick?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, hello Ellie. Yes, Sully has chicken pox. He's upstairs resting right now, but his fever is still pretty high".

"Chicken pox? Aw, poor guy." Ellie said, her voice filled with sympathy.

"If you or Jackson has never had it, you might want to ride out to the homestead. Brian is staying there with Matthew while we're in town here."

"Don't worry. We both had it years ago at the orphanage. Its gonna be rough when it starts to itch. You need anything, you know where I am."

"Thank you." Dr. Mike said, giving the girl a smile.

"Any time."

…………………………….

The next morning, Daniel met Ellie and Jacks at Grace's for breakfast. They had gotten the last table. Not long after they sat down, Evangeline walked in and looked around for a place to sit.

"She looks new." Jackson said, looking over towards her.

Ellie and Daniel looked as well.

"Maybe she could sit with us." Jackson then stated, and he got up and walked towards her.

"Hi, I'm Jackson. Would you like to sit with us? It's a bit full this morning."

Evangeline smiled. "Thank you. I'm Evangeline."

"Pleased to meet you." Jackson said, tipping his hat at her.

When they reached the table, Jackson introduced the other two. "This is my sister, Ellie, and this is Daniel."

"Good morning." Evangeline said. "You were on the train with Mr. Sully, right? Is he feeling any better?" She asked Daniel.

"Don't know, haven't seen him since yesterday morning."

"He's got chicken pox. He and Dr. Mike are at the clinic." Ellie stated.

"He ok?" Daniel asked.

"She said his fever was still pretty high, but they were both asleep when I left. I was gonna bring some food over to them when we were done." Ellie said.

Daniel looked worried, but didn't voice his concern.

"Well, I hope he feels better soon. My grandfather and I might have something that might help, if the doctor would want it."

"How so?" Jackson asked.

"My grandfather is an apothecary." Evangeline said.

"What's an apot…" Ellie couldn't quite repeat the word correctly.

"He makes medicines." Evangeline stated. "Though, I fear the doctor might not want to use them. Opa didn't exactly endear himself to Mr. Sully yesterday."

"What happened?" Ellie asked.

"Elaine." Daniel said in a quiet and partially warning voice, letting her know she was prying.

"Sorry." Ellie said.

"No, it's alright. My grandfather said something that corresponded to what Mr. Sully was wearing. All Opa had ever heard of Indians was from newspapers…he was worried. Although, he didn't think that Mr. Sully knew German…"

"You don't know the half of it," Daniel said with a chuckle. "It used to drive me crazy in the camps. Sully could pick up bit and pieces of the different languages that the other miners were speaking like that." He snapped his fingers to show the span of time.

"That's a handy skill to have." Evangeline stated.

They spoke amiably while they ate, and when they were done, Jackson first got up, and said, "I gotta head over. Be good." He said the last part to Ellie, ruffling her now shoulder-length reddish blonde hair.

Ellie gave him a slightly chagrined smile.

"I gotta go to. Nice meetin' you Evangeline." Daniel said, then he turned to Ellie, "I'll see you later." He finished, leaning down and giving Ellie a kiss on the top of her head.

"Bye." Ellie said as the two men left.

"Would you like any help carrying anything?" Evangeline asked Ellie. "I'm sure it would be heavy."

"I'm stronger than I look." Ellie said a bit defensively at first, evidence that she was still a little self conscious. She quickly recovered, though, remembering how her new friends always said that there was no shame in letting others help. "But…help would be nice."

Evangeline smiled at the young girl, and they walked over together.

"Is he your pa?" Evangeline asked, inclining her head towards Daniel's withdrawing form.

"Soon." Ellie said.

Evangeline looked somewhat confused. "It's a long story, but I'll tell ya when you have the time."

The two carried the trays over to the clinic, and Ellie knocked on the door before opening it and walking in. No one was in sight.

"Dr. Mike?" she called quietly, to see if anyone was awake.

"Right here, Ellie." Dr. Mike walked into the room.

"We brought over some breakfast for you. How's Sully feeling?" Ellie said, then added, almost forgetting to, "This is Evangeline. Her grandfather is an apo..the..cary."

"Hello, Evangeline." Dr. Mike said, shaking the young woman's hand when she put the tray down. "It's nice to meet you." She then turned to Ellie, "He's doing alright. There doesn't seem to be any major complications yet, but he still has a fever. Thank you for the food."

"I should be going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Quinn. I hope your husband feels better soon." Evangeline said, shaking Dr. Mike's hand again, giving it a sympathetic squeeze before she let go. She then exited the room.

"I'll help you carry the trays up?" Ellie said.

Dr. Mike nodded. "Thank you. Horace won't mind you being late?"

"He shouldn't. Besides, you're all more important."

……………………


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: same as before, I don't Dr. Quinn, I just borrowed the characters.

**The Best Medicine**

Part 2

Ellie made her way over to the depot, and when she got to the window to the telegraph office, she saw Preston standing there, talking to Horace.

"I expected those packages to be here this morning!" the blonde, pointed faced man said in an aggravated voice.

"I got no control over when the mail gets here." Horace said, sounding as though he had had about enough of the banker.

"Frankly, Horace, that's not good enough. I know that you were put in charge here, but your choice of employees is lax at best. I better not find that one of them has taken off with something of mine, or you will all be sorry."

Ellie felt her blood start to boil at his words. Living in the security of her new family, she had begun to have more confidence than she had had previously. Once, she would have shied away when hearing his words, but now, it only made her mad at the pompous twit.

Ellie walked around the corner so that she was in full view. "Good morning, Horace." She then turned to Preston and nodded her head, "Mr. Lodge."

"Just remember what I said." Preston said to Horace before skulking off.

"I really don't like that man." Ellie said to Horace as she watched Preston's retreating form.

"Who does?" Horace asked as he handed Ellie the clipboard.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Sully's sick and I was bringin' over some breakfast for him and Dr. Mike."

"Nothin' bad I hope?" Horace asked.

"No. Dr. Mike said it was chicken pox."

"Well, I hope he feels better soon."

"Me too." Ellie agreed before heading out to do her work.

…………………………

Brian made his way over to the clinic after school, after first stopping at the library. Books in hand; he headed over to see how Sully was doing.

When he entered the clinic, he didn't see anyone, so he made his way upstairs. Hearing voices in the room that looked over the street, he went towards it and knocked on the partially ajar door before opening it more.

"Hi, Ma. Hey Sully, how're ya feelin'?" he asked.

"I've been better." Sully couldn't help but admit, but he gave his son a small smile. "How was school?"

"Pretty good." Brian said, pulling up a chair. "We were learnin' about this guy named Thoreau. He spent two years living by a pond in the woods, and then wrote a book about it. He cared about nature and all too… I found some of his books in the library…I thought, maybe you'd want to read them or somethin'."

Michaela smiled over at them. "Henry David Thoreau is very interesting. I think you might like it."

"Why don't ya read some out loud?" Sully suggested to Brian, knowing his eyes would tire after only a few lines.

"I'll leave you two alone." Michaela said, and she walked out of the room.

Brian smiled, and opened the cover to "Walden"

He started to read: "WHEN I WROTE the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only…"

…………………..

It was only about a half hour later, when Brian walked back downstairs. Michaela was sitting at her desk when he walked in.

"He fell asleep. How's he doin' really?" Brian asked, a little concerned.

"He'll be fine in a week or so. You know Sully."

"Yeah. I just don't like to see him sick." Last year was clearly brought back to the front of Brian's mind, when they had found Sully barely alive hiding under the tree.

"I know." Michaela said, walking over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for coming and seeing him today. I know he appreciated it."

"I'll come by tomorrow again, after school. Maybe I can read him more of the book?"

"I think he'll like that."

Brian then hugged Michaela before he left to head home.

…………………………

The next morning at breakfast, Ellie eyed Daniel cautiously. He hadn't eaten much the night before, and he wasn't eating much then either. She could tell that he just didn't look like himself, but she wasn't sure if it was worry about Sully's condition or something worse.

As they all departed after the meal, she walked with him as he went to the jail and she to the depot. Guardedly, she asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, why d'ya ask?" he replied, throwing on a smile.

"You just didn't look like yourself, that's all."

"Don't go worryin' about me." He said, then he put his hands on her shoulders. "Be good."

"I will." She replied, and then reluctantly departed.

Most of her morning, while she went about her work, she worried about Daniel. She feared that he might be sick, and already having one person that she considered her family sick worried her enough.

This preoccupation wasn't helpful. At midmorning, Preston once again showed, up. Ellie was just locking up the storage shed when he came marching toward her with Horace behind him.

"You trust an urchin with those keys?" he asked the station manager incredulously.

"Sure I do, why shouldn't I?" Horace said.

"Open the door." Preston ordered Ellie.

Ellie glanced at him in an annoyed manner, but didn't say anything as she opened the door and stepped back, the padlock in her hand.

Preston made his way through the boxes, blatantly disregarding the safety of anything that wasn't his as he did so. Finally coming upon the box, he turned to Ellie and said, again in a controlling voice, "Take this over to the bank at once."

Ellie'd had enough. "Do it yourself." She said in a tired and annoyed voice.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Preston spat back.

"Who do you think?" Ellie retorted.

Anger boiled inside Preston, and he turned to Horace and said, "You should tell your employees to have some respect. Have someone take this over to the bank. I have other business to attend to."

Ellie acted before she thought, and as Preston skulked away, she threw the padlock that was in her hand, which hit him between the shoulder blades.

The next thing she knew, she was being dragged towards the jail by Mr. Lodge.

When they burst in the door, and Daniel stood up surprised, Preston stated, "I want her arrested."

"What happened?" Daniel asked as Ellie wrenched herself away from Preston's angry grasp and stood next to her soon to be father.

"She assaulted me!" Preston exclaimed.

"Ellie?" Daniel asked calmly.

Ellie sighed. "I…threw a padlock at him." She admitted, blushing slightly.

"I can't arrest a minor for that, Preston. If I did, every kid would be in here that started a fight." Daniel reasoned.

"I want her reprimanded." Preston stood his ground.

"I'll take care of it, alright?" Daniel said, hoping that would be enough to make the man leave.

"If you ask me, that girl is better off in an institution, and if you're not careful, I can have that arranged."

Preston then stormed off, leaving the two alone.

Ellie lowered her head. "I'm sorry. He just made me so angry I wasn't thinking."

Daniel sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's alright. But you can't go off hittin' people or throwin' things at them because they make you mad. Understand?"

Ellie nodded. "He can't make them put me away, can he?" she said, slightly worried.

"No, don't worry about that." Daniel then walked around to behind the desk, and pulled something out of the drawer. "I was gonna wait to tell you until everything was finalized, but one of the things that Matthew and I were doing in Denver was working on my adopting you."

Ellie's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yup. I have some of the paperwork right here." He gestured towards the papers he had taken out.

Daniel then sat down behind his desk. Ellie came around and hugged him. "Thank you…Pa."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He said, hugging her back.

Ellie noticed how warm he was when she was hugging him, and when she moved back, she stated, "You got a fever, don't you?"

"I'm alright."

"Don't ya think Dr. Mike should be the judge?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her.

"Who's the parent now?" Daniel asked, chuckling.

"Please?" she said, not changing the subject.

Daniel sighed. "Alright."

………………….

Dr. Mike heard the door open and close downstairs, and hurried to find out who it was. When she entered the examining room, she saw Ellie standing there with a slightly perspiring Daniel.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I think he's sick too." Ellie said, pointing to Daniel.

"Just…tell her I'm alright, Michaela?" Daniel almost pleaded.

"Let me take a look at you." Dr. Mike said, giving him a quick examination.

When she finished, she sighed and looked up at him. "Well, it looks like you have chicken pox as well."

"That's impossible. I had it when I was 12."

"No you didn't." Sully's voice was heard from the doorway. He looked weak as he leaned against the frame, but there was concern etched on his face for his friend.

"Sully…" Michaela started, but Sully stopped her by raising his hand and continued the conversation with Daniel.

"Yeah, I did…remember?" Daniel said back to him.

"Yeah, I do remember, and you didn't have chicken pox, you had small pox. You were out of it for over a week. I did odd jobs for the doc 'til you got better."

When Sully saw the questioning looks on the others faces, he stated, "The doctor lied and told you you had chicken pox so you wouldn't know you almost died. He didn't think a kid could handle that."

Sully started scratching his stomach, and before Dr. Mike could open her mouth, Ellie exclaimed, "Don't!"

All three looked at her, surprised. Ellie lifted up the hem of her top to show about an inch and a half of her stomach, on which were a number of pock-mark scars. "If you do, you could wind up with this."

Dr. Mike gave Ellie's arm a pat, and motioned for her to help Daniel upstairs as she helped Sully back to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

………………………

Disclaimer: I don't own Dr Quinn...I'm just borrowing the characters for my own and hopefully someone else's, amusement.

Ok, so here's the rest of the story. Sorry it took me so long to put it here. Honestly, I wasn't happy with it once I finished it, but I have no idea how to fix it. Please don't let that stop you from reading it if you liked the story so far, I'm just my own worst critic.

**The Best Medicine**

A few days had passed, and it was Saturday. Matthew, Brian, Jackson and Ellie sat at Grace's in the late morning, commiserating while partaking of some apple pie. During a lull in the conversation, Evangeline walked up.

"Boy, those are four of the longest faces I've seen in a while." She said.

The four looked up. Brian had met Evangeline a few days earlier, but Matthew still hadn't.

"Hey Evangeline." Jackson said.

"This is my brother, Matthew. Matthew, this is Evangeline, her grandpa is an apothecary. They just moved here." Brian said, introducing the two.

"Please, sit." Matthew said, making some room at the table for her.

"So, how are the patients?" Evangeline asked.

Ellie sighed. "They're…alright I guess. Sully doesn't have much of a fever anymore…but the sores are startin' to itch him real bad. Daniel still has a fever. They're not real happy."

"Who could blame them?" Evangeline stated.

"I wish there was somethin' we all could do for them…" Brian said, thinking out loud.

The five grew quiet for a moment…stabbing the gooey fruit pieces on their plates.

"I've been reading this book, called "The Canterbury Tales"…" Jackson started, "its about these people walkin' to this big church in England…anyway, the whole thing is about all of them tellin' stories to each other to pass the time on their way there."

"Maybe we could do something like that." Brian said after a moment.

"How," Ellie asked.

"Well, we could all do something different for them. Like we're puttin' on a show for 'em." Brian continued.

"I could do my juggling." Jackson said.

"Just nothing that could burn you this time?" Ellie said smirking.

Brian and Matthew chuckled.

"It was a bet." Jackson said, defending himself.

"Yeah…with Hank." Ellie countered.

"He was drunk. I wasn't."

"What happened?" Evangeline asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Hank made a bet with Jacks when he saw him juggling something one day. So Jacks took these three metal rods that were in the fire at the forge, and juggled them. Robert E yelled at him then" Ellie explained.

"Yeah, but he doesn't harp on it." Jackson said to his sister. "and Hank lost out on some money…which serves him right in the first place for bettin' someone."

Ellie shook her head, but there was a smile on her face.

"Well, I figure I could write something…" Brian said.

"What are you gonna do, Matthew?" Jackson asked.

"I dunno." Matthew said.

"You were good at acting. Why not do somethin' from a play." Brian said.

"I acted once." Matthew said.

"Yeah, but you got the lead part." Brian stated.

"Really, what were you in?" Evangeline asked.

"Romeo and Juliet… a few years ago." Matthew said.

"Wow. I'll help you find something, if you want?" Evangeline offered.

A half smile appeared on Matthew's face. "Sure."

"Good. We'll talk about it again in a few days, and see what everyone has?" Jackson said.

"Sounds good." Matthew said.

Ellie sat there quietly, stabbing her pie with her fork again.

……………………..

It was late Tuesday night when Evangeline made it back to the building Karl Kauffman had bought for his shop, with small rooms upstairs where he and his granddaughter would live.

"Du bist spaet dran" (_You're home late.) _Karl said.

"Ich habe Matthew geholfen" (_I was helping Matthew.)_

Karl was quiet, a look of deep thought on his face.

"Opa…" she started.

Karl sighed as he interrupted her. "Evangeline, listen…"

But she wouldn't let him. "Opa…don't you remember what Omaused to say?"

"Jedes Ding hat zwei Seiten." (_There are always two sides to every story.)_

"That's right…always two sides. Now…those papers back east, they said things about the Indians, but that was just one side of the story. No one ever told the Indian's side."

"But…"

"Just listen, please? I've been talking with Matthew, and his brother. Did you know Sully and Dr. Mike adopted them when they were younger, because their mother died and their father ran off? Matthew was already of age, but he still thinks of Sully as his pa…more than his real one. Matthew told me that Sully was a miner years ago. He was stuck in a cave in for 22 days, but that didn't stop him from saving Matthew when he was stuck in a cave in too. He said the Cheyenne, they were a tribe here before the army wiped them out, they took Sully in when he was so down he didn't want to live again. This was before Dr. Mike was here. He had been married, and his wife died in childbirth with their daughter. The Indians helped him learn how to live again…how to want to live again. He saved President Grant's life once. He works for the government now, trying to protect the land for the future. That's what he was doing in Denver…why he was on the train when we were. Look, if we are going to make it here, we're gonna have to work with the doctor. Just…talk to her…you don't have to listen to what I'm telling you, but listen to her. Please?"

Karl smiled, and touched Evangeline on the top of her head, like he used to do when she was a little girl. "You look more like your mother and grandmother every day." He said. "You act like them too."

Evangeline smiled. "So, you'll talk to her?" she asked.

Karl nodded. "I'll talk to her."

Evangeline leaned over and gave her grandfather a hug.

………………………

Sully hated being sick…hated it with a passion. Daniel wasn't too fond of it either. Being cooped up in the clinic and not being able to leave didn't help matters any. Many times, they were stuck in their rooms, willing themselves not to scratch their increasingly irritated skin; other times they would sit in one of the rooms, so that they at least had some company when everyone else was busy.

On that specific afternoon, They both sat in Daniel's room. Daniel was leaning against the headboard of the bed, flicking cards into his hat and occasionally squirming as he tried not to scratch himself. Sully sat in a chair next to the bed. For about five minutes, he quietly stared at a knot in the wood on the opposite wall to where he was sitting.

"I bet I could hit that." Sully stated.

"Hit what?" Daniel asked looking up.

"That knot over there."

Daniel looked at the wall that Sully was pointing to, and squinted slightly to see the target.

"Go on, try it." Daniel said.

Sully looked over and saw a discarded knife that was left unused from breakfast that morning. Picking it up, he eyed the knot one more time, and threw the blade through the air. The tip went right into the wood above the knot.

"Almost," Daniel said, chuckling.

Sully sighed.

"Lunch is here." Michaela said, walking into the room.

As soon as she entered, she noticed the knife sticking out of the wall.

"Do I want to know how that got there?" she asked, amused.

"No." Daniel and Sully said in unison.

Michaela just smiled and shook her head.

"How much longer are we going to be stuck here doing nothing?" Daniel asked as Michaela passed him a bowl of soup.

"Once the blisters have stopped appearing, and they are all healed, you'll be as good as new."

She then poured some soup and went to hand it over to Sully.

"I ain't all that hungry." Sully stated, putting the bowl down.

"You need to eat something to keep your strength up." She told him.

Sully sighed and ate a spoonful. Just then a knock came to the door.

"I'll be back in a little bit." She said, brushing some hair behind Sully's ear affectionately before leaving the room.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the face of an older gentleman that she was not familiar with. It was Mr. Kaufman.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"You would be Dr. Quinn, yes?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong."

"Well, I'm sure there is, in a matter of speaking. I'm Karl Kaufman."

"The apothecary...Yes, I've heard about you."

"I'm sure you have," Karl said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Kaufman?" Michaela asked.

"Well…If you have a moment, I would like to speak with you."

"Please, sit down." Michaela said, finding another chair, and then sitting down behind her desk.

"How is your husband doing?" he asked.

"Almost recovered…although, I believe his patience is wearing thin." She stated wryly. "Why do you ask?"

"My granddaughter, she has talked to me. I wanted to apologize to you, Doctor, and to your husband. I've been informed that I was quite hasty in my reactions before, which I am sure you are aware of."

"Yes, I was told. I can't say that it is a reaction that has never happened to Sully, but that doesn't take the sting it causes away any less. Although, I do think it bothers myself more than it does my husband."

"My wife, if she was here now, would have admonished me long before today…as did her granddaughter. She would tell me that there were two sides to every story…and sometimes, I forget that."

"She sounds like she was a wonderful woman."

"She was. I have brought some salve for you…for the itching…as a peace offering of sorts. I hope it might help." He said, producing the tin from his pocket and handing it over to her.

"Thank you. I've actually been using some I've made myself as well. Lavender and oregano have certain soothing properties in them." She stated.

"I've not used them before, I should remember that." Karl said.

"I learned it from a very good friend, an Indian medicine man named Cloud Dancing. You aren't surprised at the use of non-traditional medication?" she asked intrigued.

"Morphine comes from a type of poppy plant. Why shouldn't more medicines come from other plants? It only seems logical that there are things that we have yet to have discovered that would help heal a person."

Michaela smiled, pleased at his response. "Would you follow me?" she asked.

Karl nodded.

The two ascended the stairs and Michaela looked into Daniel's room, only to find that Sully had retreated back into his own. Karl stood obediently outside as Michaela went into her husband's room. He could hear their quiet conversation from where he stood.

"Did you eat anything?" she asked.

"A little," came Sully's noncommittal voice.

"Are you feeling any worse?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Just a little headache. I'm alright." He answered.

There was a pause in the conversation, and Karl felt as though he shouldn't be listening in.

A moment later, he heard the good doctor's voice say, "There is someone who would like to say something to you. It will only be for a moment."

Michaela appeared at the door, and waved to Karl to enter. When he did, he saw a weary looking Sully sitting on the side of the bed.

"Mr. Sully, I…I just wanted to apologize for my hasty reactions towards you. I believed sources that were not as accurate as I was led to believe. I hope you would be able to forgive me."

Sully raised his arm, extending his hand towards the elder gentleman. Karl took the offered hand and shook it gratefully.

……………..

Brian made his way around the corner from Grace's. The group, sans Ellie, had just had a meeting about what they were going to do for Daniel and Sully, which would be done that weekend. They'd wondered where their friend had gone off to that would make her miss the meeting, but they held it anyway. After they had broken it up and started on their separate ways, was when he saw Ellie sitting on the end of the boardwalk, trying to not be noticed.

"There you are." Brian said as he walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Brian."

"You missed the meetin'."

"I know." She said, resting her chin in her hand.

"What happened?"

"Nothin'. I don't think I'm gonna do anything for it."

"Why not? Don't you want to?" He asked, surprised.

"Of course I do…but the only talent I have…well, it ain't somethin' you can show off like that. You can write, Jacks can juggle, Matthew can act…I don't have nothin'. I'm not even that good at reading out loud yet…"

"Don't be silly. We can find something for ya. In fact, I got an idea that would work for you. C'mon."

Brian then led Ellie towards the library.

………………

Matthew, Jackson, Evangeline, Brian and Ellie all walked towards the clinic, their "supplies" in hand. To any bystander, this little parade of people would have looked odd, or at least amusing. They did not care, though.

Without knocking, they all entered the building by the side door.

"Ok, Ellie, you go up and get Daniel into Sully's room, and then call for us when they're ready." Matthew, the oldest of them, instructed.

"Right," Ellie said, nodding.

She quickly made her way up to the second floor and went into her "father's" room. She found Daniel sitting on his bed, arms crossed, an almost pouting scowl on his face.

"Hey." She said.

"Hi," was his only reply.

"C'mon. We've got something for you over in Sully's room."

"Who's we?" Daniel asked.

"You'll see in a moment. Come on." She said, reaching her hand out to lead him.

"I'm coming. You go on ahead, I'm right behind you."

"Ok." Ellie answered, but she waited to see him stand before she left the room.

She then quickly made her way over to Sully's room, where she thankfully found Michaela was also sitting. It appeared as if she had just finished her examination of him for the day, and Sully sat there, looking much like Daniel did when she had walked into the other man's room.

"Boy, you know, if you were a bit taller, and Daniel's hair was a little longer, you two could be twins." Ellie said in greeting, a smirk that was not very well hidden, on her face.

Sully looked up at her, almost surprised that what she had said actually came out of her mouth. Daniel walked in then, and the two men exchanged a silent conversation. Daniel looked at Sully as if to say 'what is going on here?' and Sully's look answered 'hey, she's your daughter.'

"Ok. If you all would find a place to sit, except for those who are already sitting, I will be right back." Ellie said, quickly exiting the room.

All three adults exchanged bewildered looks. Sully made some room on the bed so that Michaela could sit next to him, and Daniel took the chair, and sat next to the bed.

"Ok, they're ready!" they heard Ellie call in the hallway.

The sound of four more pairs of feet walking up the stairs and towards the room could be heard. Then the others, led by Ellie entered the room.

"We wanted to do something to cheer you up, since you've been stuck in here." Brian said.

"So, we came up with this little show that we're going to put on for you." Jackson finished.

"I'm helping out." Evangeline said, as if to explain her attendance.

Brian motioned to Ellie, who looked just a trifle bit nervous.

"Well, I was elected to be the….what did you call it?" Brian whispered something towards her, and then she continued, "right, 'master of ceremonies', whatever that means. Because of that, I was also volunteered to go first. I think the other four just didn't want to be the first one to mess up…"

That line elicited a number of laughs.

"I didn't know what I wanted to say, to tell you the truth. My so called talent isn't really something you can show off at the drop of a hat I guess. Brian showed me this book, though, and told me to read it, and when I did, I found something I wanted to say. See, you are all my family…not just you Jacks, or you, Daniel, but all of you. I love you all so much, I didn't really know how to say it. This guy, Emerson, though, he said it real good."

"Well." Michaela corrected without even registering doing so.

A few of them, Brian and Sully especially, chuckled.

"Right, well." Ellie took a breath. "He said this in an essay on friends, and it said what I was trying to say. I did need some help with some of the words, though… he said: 'The moment we indulge our affections, the earth is metamorphosed; there is no winter, and no night; all tragedies, all ennuis, vanish, -- all duties even; nothing fills the proceeding eternity but the forms all radiant of beloved persons. Let the soul be assured that somewhere in the universe it should rejoin its friend, and it would be content and cheerful alone for a thousand years.' Then he said, 'My friends have come to me unsought. The great God gave them to me. By oldest right, by the divine affinity of virtue with itself, I find them, or rather not I, but the Deity in me and in them derides and cancels the thick walls of individual character, relation, age, sex, circumstance, at which he usually connives, and now makes many one. High thanks I owe you, excellent lovers, who carry out the world for me to new and noble depths, and enlarge the meaning of all my thoughts. These are new poetry of the first Bard, -- poetry without stop, -- hymn, ode, and epic, poetry still flowing, Apollo and the Muses chanting still. Will these, too, separate themselves from me again, or some of them? I know not, but I fear it not; for my relation to them is so pure, that we hold by simple affinity, and the Genius of my life being thus social, the same affinity will exert its energy on whomsoever is as noble as these men and women, wherever I may be.' Anyway, I guess what I wound up figuring out when I read it, that I could actually put into words what I was feeling, is that you all like me for who I am, not who I try to be. You all mean the world to me, and that's all I really wanted to say.

"ok, so next up is going to be Matthew and Evangeline, who are doing a scene from Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' It's a part where the character Puck is talking to one of the fairies. It was chosen because of the lightness of the scene, or at least that was what I was told to say."

Matthew and Evangeline got up. Sully, Michaela and Daniel alike could see the slight flirting happening between the two young adults. They couldn't help but smile, although they tried to suppress it for the sake of the "performers" so as not to through them off.

Then, it was Jackson's turn. He stood up with three objects in his hand: an apple, an egg, and a baseball.

"Now, the object of this is to eat the apple while I am juggling it, and not the other two."

Each time the apple passed into his hand, he lifted it up and took a bite. When all that was left was the core, he was finished.

"I wonder if you could do that with a blindfold." Matthew joked.

Everyone laughed.

"I only juggle blindfolded when I juggle knives." Jackson said with a wink.

They laughed even more.

"Don't joke," Ellie said deadpanned. "I've seen him do it."

When Jackson was finished, Ellie stood up again.

"And now, last but not least, Brian is going read a story he wrote especially for today."

Brian stood up, the papers in his hand. "Once, there was a boy and a man. Since he could first remember, the boy looked up to this man, and loved him like he was his father…"

As Brian read, Sully instantly knew what he was recalling. It was the story of the time he ran off on the train, and skipped school with Anthony to get the rocking chair. He looked over at Michaela, and reached over to hold her hand, the memory coming back to him.

Brian continued, "when he had come home that day, the boy found his ma and the man in the garden. It was then that the man told the boy that if he ever disobeyed like he had done, he would be reprimanded, like he was being now. Feeling hurt, the boy said to the man, 'Why are you doing this to me?' The man was quiet for a second, but looked at the boy in the eyes and said, 'because, I'm your pa.' To have him say that meant more to him than the boy thought it would, and he turned back, and hugged the man, thankful that he was his father."

"That was beautiful, Brian." Michaela said, just a little choked up from the story.

The room was quiet for a moment, and Ellie stood up again, figuring she had to do something to end it. "Well, we tried to come up with something else, but we couldn't…"

"That's ok. It was wonderful." Daniel said.

Then he, Sully and Michaela thanked the kids for making the afternoon a good one.

That night, as they all began to leave, Michaela stopped the five in the examining room. "Thank you all so much for this evening. I know they loved it as well," she said, gesturing towards the floor above.

"You're welcome, Dr. Mike." Matthew and Jackson said. Speaking for the rest.

They all said their goodnights and went their separate ways.

……………

Within a week, Sully and Daniel were back to normal, and not a moment too soon. That Friday night, Michaela, Sully, Brian, Matthew and Katie were to meet up with Daniel, Ellie and Jackson for dinner at Grace's Café. Michaela was running behind at the clinic and was a few minutes late. When she walked out the back door of the clinic, she saw all of them sitting together, talking and laughing. She also noticed that Evangeline had accompanied the eldest Cooper as well, which brought a smile to her face. She stopped walking, though, when she noticed Karl walking towards her.

"Guten abend (_Good evening)_ Dr. Quinn." He said.

"Good evening, Mr. Kaufman, and please, you must call me Dr. Mike." She answered cheerily.

"Then you must call me Karl." He said smiling. Then Karl looked over at the group. "Do you know what the best medicine is, Dr. Mike?"

"Laughter?" she asked, remembering the old adage.

"Yes, laughter, and love." Karl stated.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Karl." She answered, motioning for him to follow her to the table with her.

"Hi, Opa!" Evangeline said happily when they approached.

"Would you like to join us, Mr. Kaufman?" Sully asked.

Karl was surprised, and he showed his humility when he nodded his head and said, "That would be lovely, Ich danke Ihnen" (thank you)

"Bitte gern geschehen " (you are welcome) Sully replied.

"I think some of us are going to have to learn German." Jackson stated.

That made the rest of the party smile, and they all settled in for an evening together.


End file.
